Breaking news: "Old Dog Learns New Trick"

Do you ever get "bogged down"? Routines can be good; get up at the same time, eat the same breakfast, leave for work at the same time, etc. And even within routines, you have the chance to "mix it up" a bit: hit the snooze once in a while, eat an English muffin instead of toast, leave for work early (not if you hit the snooze button though!). While those things may not have eternal impact on our lives, this one thing most certainly does and if you aren't careful, you may easily fall into a rut or routine before you realize it. Most who know me know of my absolute passion for God's Word and specifically, for the books of Psalms and Proverbs. I have, quite literally, spent most of the last 35 years pouring over and praying through those books, almost to the exclusion of all other books of the Bible. It's not that I don't think God can "speak" to me through any other books, I just like the WAY He speaks to me there. I am currently reading "A Place of Quiet Rest" (Finding Intimacy With God Through A Daily Devotional Life) by Nancy Leigh DeMoss. Last night's chapter found me reading this indictment against my Bible reading method, "Likewise, our spirits need the balance that comes from taking in the "whole counsel of God," not limiting ourselves to those passages that seem particularly appetizing. The spiritual growth of some believers has been stunted due to a diet that consists primarily of the Psalms with perhaps a smidgen of the New Testament Epistles."(emphasis mine) Well! Nancy, that was just a little rude, don't you think? Ahem, except in my case, it's true! So, this morning I have blazed a new trail! Ta-da! This old dog is learning new tricks! I have known of the "read the Bible through" chart in the back of my Bible forever but I just couldn't escape my Psalm/Proverb dailies to branch out into something different and really, just a little out of my comfort zone. I mean seriously, can God actually speak through the genealogies? (Just in case you aren't sure of the answer to that question, YES, He can!) Today's selections (made for me by the chart and the hand of the Sovereign)were Acts 18 and Job 7,8,9. Job. Really? Well, heck yeah; I was amazed at what I read there! Job 7: 11-16 “Therefore I will not restrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul. Am I a sea, or a sea serpent, that You set a guard over me? When I say,‘My bed will comfort me, my couch will ease my complaint, then You scare me with dreams and terrify me with visions, so that my soul chooses strangling and death rather than my body. I loathe my life; I would not live forever. Let me alone, for my days are but a breath." You go, Job! Have you ever felt like that? I am fairly confident that NONE of us have ever experienced life and loss like Job did and he had some serious questions for God and he wasn't afraid to ask them. Yet, look at what Job says in the next verse (I don't think he knew these words would become "verses" for us!). Job 7: 17-18 "What is man, that You should exalt him, that you should set Your heart upon him, that You should visit him every morning and TEST HIM IN EVERY MOMENT?" (emphasis mine) Friends, in the very deepest anguish of Job's heart, he KNEW that God's heart was set upon him and that he was, all the while, testing him EVERY MOMENT! How could Job (and how can we) reconcile those things? Let's listen in on this conversation as it continues in Job 9:4a as Job declares that "God is wise in heart and mighty in strength." That is how Job could ask the hard questions. He knew, and we would do well to learn, that God IS wise and will allow nothing into our lives that is not best for us. Best does not equal easy, by the way! Job's "friend" Bildad, implies as much in Job 8:11 when he asks, "Can the papyrus grow up without a marsh? Can the reeds flourish without water?" And the question I pose here is: "Can we become Christlike without suffering?" I believe we know the answer to that question but like I said above, just in case you aren't sure, the answer to that question is NO, we can't! Caveat: suffering will look different for everyone, still... So, what is God doing in your life? What has he allowed that is currently making you pretty uncomfortable and if you could "wish it away", you certainly would?! Take heart; take hope. And rest in Psalm 46:10a "Let be and be still, and know (recognize and understand) that I am God.(Amplified) You knew I'd get a verse from Psalms in there somewhere didn't you?! So, whether you find yourself reading in Habakkuk or Hebrews, rest assured, He will speak. Listen closely.